5 reasons you feel bloated after eating

For some time now, i know many of you might have the
thoughts that you can only feel bloated
after eating, just because you eat too much. But on the contrary, there
exist so many other reasons that cause bloating
after eating. Some of those reasons includes fluctuating hormones,
antibiotics, certain types of foods etc. Bloating can often be blamed in irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS) which is a common issue that is caused by a sensitive gut and
usually ends up leaving you with issues like cramps, bloating and diarrhoea.

Also read: Hormone imbalance in women

Usually
in these cases the stomach swells by a few centimeters, but in severe cases it
may actually dabble in size. While most people’s stomachs may swell just a couple
of centimeters, others’ can actually double in girth in just one day, only to
‘deflate’ overnight until the next “attack”.

Not
everyone’s stomachs will distend in this way, instead they will report
suffering an uncomfortable swollen feeling. So what could be behind your
fluctuating waistband and bloated feeling, and what can you do about it? Below
are 5 reasons you feel bloated after
eating.

1. Fluctuating hormones

Hormonal
fluctuations during a woman’s monthly cycle are a common trigger for bloating. But
while many women might put it down to ‘fluid retention’, the cause is actually
relaxed muscles. Many women find they are bloated before their period, and this
is due to an increased level of progesterone.

During
ovulation, the ovaries produce more progesterone and it causes muscles in the
abdomen to relax. Everything (i.e. the organs) is not packed in as tightly as
usual, causing a woman to look bloated. It tends to get worse just before the
menopause. The muscles in the bowel also relax, meaning they are less efficient
at moving food along the gut. This can cause constipation, triggering further
bloating. It’s possible to overcome this by eating more fiber.

Anything
“healthy” is often a cause of bloating. High-fiber foods, such as cereals,
beans and pulses cause bloating by fermenting in the gut. Do not force yourself
to eat lots of brown bread, bran and vegetables if they are crucifying you.

Healthy
snacks are another problem. Many people spend all day snacking on large amounts
of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, all of which ferment in the bowel and cause
problems in both healthy people and those with irritable bowel syndrome. Beans
are notorious for causing bloating, yet people eat them because they’re
healthy.

People
wonder why they are bloated and constipated, yet they are on a high-protein
diet so getting very little fiber, which is what we need to go to the loo
regularly.’

A lack of
‘good’ bacteria in the gut can lead to bloating. Good bacteria, also known as
the gut flora, help to stimulate the digestive process and keep the gut cells
healthy. But taking antibiotics, cortisone, chronic medication, contraceptives
or suffering from food poisoning, can disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria,
causing bad bacteria to proliferate.

This
imbalance means you’re more likely to be sensitive to foods that ferment in the
gut, causing bloating and gas. Probiotics can help restore the balance of good
bacteria again.

4. Stress

There is
clearly a link between the brain and the gut, and so stress can make any
digestive symptoms more severe. In irritable bowel syndrome, this connection is
exaggerated and the gut is oversensitive to factors such as stress, diet,
hormones and bacteria. In fact, stress is one of the biggest triggers for the
condition.

Coeliac
disease, which is an allergy to gluten, can cause uncomfortable bloating,
although there are no clear reasons behind this. Whereas irritable bowel
syndrome is basically a plumbing problem, allergies are caused by a problem
with the immune system. The problem is the symptoms can be very similar to
irritable bowel syndrome and many patients go undiagnosed for years.

Other
common symptoms that might help differentiate coeliac disease from irritable
bowel syndrome include unexplained anaemia, fertility problems and joint pain. Millions
of people suffer from undiagnosed coeliac disease. If you think you have a food
intolerance or allergy, keep a food diary for seven days, noting when exactly
you ate, what symptoms you had (if any), when they appeared, and grade them
from zero to four in terms of severity.

These are
some of the reasons you might feel
bloated after eating, and it is not necessary linked to over consumption of
foods on your part.